


whole room's cinematic

by thisstableground



Series: Main Timeline ITH Fics [5]
Category: In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 18:56:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15031124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisstableground/pseuds/thisstableground
Summary: Usnavi's not the only one who's a mess around people he's crushing on.a.k.a, Vanessa Experiences A Feeling, and finds it totally unacceptable.[2014]





	whole room's cinematic

**Author's Note:**

> [a/n: just a quick one, because vanessas coolness is a paper construction that falls apart entirely the second a hint of emotion gets involved and i love her for it.]

“Do you think I should get a tattoo?” Vanessa says, leaning against the dispatch front desk and idly picking at her nails while she waits for Nina to gather her stuff together. They’re doing dinner out tonight, although neither of them can really afford anywhere fancy but hey, going out is going out. Better than going home, anyway, Vanessa’s just not in the mood to deal with that place for yet another evening.

“What kind of tattoo?” Nina asks.

“I dunno, anything.”

“I feel like if the answer is _I dunno_ then probably not? You should be sure about that sort of thing.” Nina slings her satchel over the shoulder and calls over to Benny who’s just picked up the shift-change on the radios. “See you, Benny!”

Benny salutes. “See you around, boss lady!”

“You know I’m not your boss just ‘cause my dad is?”

“It’s still your last name on the sign, ain’t it? Have a good night. Bye, Vanessa.”

“Later, Benny.” They head out of the dispatch. “Fine, maybe not a tattoo, but I’m so _bored,_  I gotta do something exciting before I fuckin’ turn to dust. _”_

“This way, I gotta stop by my place first and change out of work clothes. How about doing something with Caleb? I thought you two were having a good time together, call him up for a date or something.”

“Yeah, no, we don’t have a date  kinda relationship. We dance, we bang, we go our separate ways till we feel like dancin’ and-or bangin’ again.” Vanessa sighs. “I think I’m done with him anyway. And with any of those guys from the club, it just don’t feel worth the effort any more. Ugh, am I getting old or something?”

“Probably,” Nina says. “First you’re twenty-one, then before you know it you’re thirty, then you’re dead.”

“Not fair you get to leave in September.It’s gonna be even worse around here once you’re gone.”

Nina shrugs. “Sorry, V, I’m not throwing away Stanford just to stay here and entertain you.”

“You’re a bad friend.”

“I know.”

She wouldn’t really want Nina to stay, obviously. Nina’s earned this and Vanessa’s proud of her. It’s just so frustrating to watch someone else finally fly away while she’s still grounded. They’ve all talked so much over the years about Vanessa’s downtown apartment, Nina’s college, Usnavi’s beach, Benny’s business plans. She’d always figured they’d all end up leaving the same time, somehow.

Nina's got her opportunity, but Benny’s still at the dispatch, sharply-dressed and full of dreams, and Vanessa’s still stuck in the salon. Some nights she dances, other nights she stays home. Clears up after her mom. Wakes up early, heads to work, where Dani and Carla and customers and conversation are all always broadly the same except for minor details. The salon stays the same, her mom stays the same, life stays the same.

And Usnavi definitely stays the same, built into his corner like he’s part of the bodega’s brickwork. Of all of them, she thinks he’s the one who really might stay here forever. She can recall almost to the day the exact last time he did anything unexpected: about four years ago in late July, seven months after taking over the family business, he closed up the store with no explanation other that a note reading “closed due to personal circumstances” in the window. Then he all but disappeared for a full week. Only Abuela Claudia knows what he was doing. If not for her, then Vanessa woulda assumed he’d just finally up and left for DR without telling anyone. 

But he came back to the counter wearing his dad’s old hat and the first genuine smile Vanessa had seen on him in months, and he hasn’t changed a bit since then. Predictable from head to toe: Usnavi and his hat and his stupid giant pants. His smile that reaches all the way to his big eyes, the way he always sings his good morning to her, his excitable hand-gestures, his coffee.  He always makes it perfect, any time of day. Her pre-work coffee, her morning break, lunchtime, sometimes after her shift too. The more frustrated Vanessa gets with barrio life the more she looks forward to those moments set like little guiding lights that propel her through her work day, where she can step out of the nine-to-five to stand around at the bodega, caffeinating and chatting with Usnavi. Their champagne bet’s been a long time in the waiting for them both but damn, she’d really miss that coffee if he actually left. 

So maybe some things staying the same ain’t so bad but all the other stuff, point still stands.

"I just need to change things up," she says.

“You’ll get your chance s—oh, phone.” They pause just outside the bodega while Nina rummages through the mountain of crap in her satchel trying to find her buzzing phone.

“I’m sick of waiting for it. I’m sick of walking down the same street I’ve been walking down my entire goddamn life,” Vanessa gestures around herself agitatedly. “Same dumbass ugly graffiti, same salon, same sidewalk garbage, same bodeg—uhhhhm. Same, um…”

Her train of thought derails explosively about the time she points in the window of the bodega and happens to catch sight of Usnavi fixing his fridge. 

More specifically: Usnavi is holding a wrench and bending over the fridge, wearing a grease-smudged undershirt, which…has he always worn them that low cut? It’s collarbones all over the place, inappropriate for the workplace frankly, with his arms all on show like anyone even asked, and since when does Usnavi De la freakin’ Vega have like, biceps? Not big biceps, true, but he’s definitely more toned than Vanessa remembered him being under those oversized shirts of his, which doesn’t _mean_ anything and she’s not even noticing it really, she’s just _surprised_.

Nina looks quizzically at Vanessa, follows her eyeline and loudly says “ohhh-“

“No,” Vanessa interrupts. it has no impact.

“— Myyy—“

“I wasn’t—“

“ _Whaaaat,_ ” Nina says, phone call completely forgotten. “Vanessa! Seriously? Usnavi? Vanessa, you and _Usnavi.”_

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Hey, shouldn’t you call whoever that was back?”

“It can wait, how long has this been a thing? Why didn’t you tell me? Is that why you called it off with Caleb, are you going to _date Usnavi_?!”

“Dios, calm down, there isn’t a thing! No things or dates are on the cards here, ever, trust me.”

“You were literally just saying how you’re bored of casual relationships and you want something different.”

“That is not what I meant, you’re twisting my words.”

“And then you’re practically _drooling_ over —

“I wasn’t drooling! I was just. He’s not — he’s whatever, it ain’t even— there’s no way. Like, he’s not _terrible_ looking but, y’know, the whole face and body isn’t exactly what I — not that I’ve even _looked_ at his body. Usnavi? As if. Psssshh. _Usnavi_? Ha.”

“Oh my god. Are you broken?” Nina asks, just as Usnavi straightens up and turns towards the window. Vanessa instinctively ducks so she’s hidden by the myriad overlapping stickers and signs covering the lower half of the glass. Nina waves enthusiastically.

“Hi, Usnavi!” she hollers. “You’ll never guess who—”

Vanessa punches her in the leg. The front door of the bodega opens.

“Yo, what is _up,_ Nina Rosario!” Usnavi says, then tilts his head. “…And Vanessa who is on the floor, for some reason?”

“I’m not on the floor,” Vanessa says, from the floor. “I mean. I was just tying my laces.”

“You’re wearing slip-ons,” he points out, offering a hand to help her up.

“Problem already solved then,” she says, with enough aggressive confidence that he doesn’t question it. His palm is all sweaty against hers.

“Oh, uh, shit, sorry, I’m gross today,” he says, realizing it too and quickly pulling away once she’s on her feet to wipe his hands on his shirt with an embarrassed look. “Sorry. Manual labor, dead fridge, you know how it is, are you okay? You’re all red. Did you get a sunburn or something?“

What, is he a detective now? Why does he keep noticing things?

“Well, this weather,” she says weakly.

“I hear ya,” he agrees. “I’m like five seconds away from actually melting.”

He takes his hat off to wipe sweat off his forehead. Vanessa makes a noise that she wasn’t aware her body was capable of making.

“Yeah, it’s pretty hot,” Nina says. “Vanessa, don’t you think Usnavi looks hot?”

“ _No_ , I think I hate your guts,” Vanessa mutters. Holy shit, this is _not_ the kind of change she was looking for when she said about being bored, the last thing she needs is Usnavi causing problems for her. Except he’s not, anyway, because nothing has changed so what’s even the big deal? There is no big deal. There’s not even a little deal, she didn’t fucking sign anything, can everyone just _back off_ already?

“Calor, calor, but what can you do,” Usnavi says, apparently totally unphased that Vanessa’s turned into a malfunctioning guinea pig while her soon-to-be-ex best friend does _nothing at all to help_. “I gotta get back to the grind, ladies, you enjoy the heat.”

“I think one of us already is,” Nina says. She grins at Vanessa. Usnavi, oblivious, tips his cap and heads back inside.

“Look, whatever you’re thinking, you’re way off base,” Vanessa says hurriedly as soon as the door closes. “It just surprised me that he took the hat off, that’s all it was. You can’t tell me that doesn’t feel weird to you too, I haven’t seen his hair outside a salon context in years, it’s like seeing him nak— nnnrgh.”

“This is amazing,” Nina says, clasping her hands over her heart. “I love watching you try and comprehend feelings, it’s like watching a duckling do algebra. Has your heart grown three sizes like the Grinch? Do you need medical attention for it?”

“Oh, what the fuck do you know anyway,” Vanessa says, and storms off down the street. _Feelings_. That’s the stupidest thing she’s ever heard.


End file.
